The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-03-11
OLD GRIDLEY'S GHOST.

N'A NlNillDItDi hIt w
sick?'
mo; not exactly"
"What ails you them? Speak on
man, Have you been seeing ghost?
"To tell the truth, Maggie / do fe,
a little nervous this morning.
haven't made q trip these twent
years that dreaded like this"
Seen Old Gridley again."
ayes"
"fshawl | thought that was it
Haven't you seen him a dozen time
before and nothing came OF it,?
"This time he had his sextant."
All this was at the breakfast-table
Durham was mate of the Orc Elmo
making tri.monthly trips between
Portland and San Francisco. He had
sailed thrty'siX years, been round the
world twice, been captain about six
years, but lost his ship and couldn't
get another and so was glad to be first
mate of the Orc Elmo.
Durham had habit ofseeing ghosts
or, rather, ghost, for he never saw
but one; that was old Gridley. Grdey
was mate Of the vessel on which Dun.
ham made his first trip as a ship.
That Trip was Dunham's first. but
Gridley's last. Gridley had passion
for beating ship-boys with a ropes
end; he died in the act OF beating
Durham with a ropes end. Gridley
was taking an observation with the
sextant, and, as the boy was passing
him with bucket and swabs, O sud.
den lurch OF the ship threw him
against the mate. Gridley seized
ropes end, and was beaboring the bow
soupdly when a boom, providentially
lett loose, struck him and knocked |
him overheard. Ever since that, on
numerous occasions, Durham had |
seen Gridley's ghost-usually with a
ropes end, but sometimes with a sex
sant. lie had never been able to sea
any particular fatality portended by
,he vision with the ropes end. He
lad seen it dozen times; and, on
ZONE occasions, his best luck had
eemed to follow the apparition. Not
10 when the ghost with the sextant
He had seen this only
wice-once, the night before he fell
rom the foretop and broke his leg;
he other time, the night before his
hip was cast away.
Last night was the third time. He
ad walked up and found himself w.
ig on his back. The room was per.
city dark; 1t was also perfectly still. s
unham could see nothing and could
ear nothing. Nevertheless, he felt !
nat something or somebody was i'm =
10 room that ought 10 be out OF it.. o
e also felt "A draught of cold air. i
unham was no stickler for ventilated n
and had carefully closed :
nd locked the Gindows before retir. +,
g. The air could not come from q
e windows; neither could it come a
ON the bedroom door, FOR that Il
'ened INTO the sitting.room Just OBJ
'site to n window, and If the door +
I'd been open he could have seen the n
ndow. Despite his natural courage,
lnham was frightened. He raised w
nself on his elbow very cautiously. cs
looked about the room: he tr
nld see absolutely nothing. He So
'ched over to where Mag. te
his wife, slept-she was "a
re he moistned his finger in his ID,
nth and held 10 up. lie could then sa
slbly feel the draft OF air coming "C
m the foot OF his bed. lie got up We
! struck light. Looking over his .S
'ulder as he did so. he saw, at the Ia
I OF his bed, old Gridley. IL would bo
no good to shout aloud-his wife IN
aid only laugh at him. lie had re-,
m walked her up TO look at the sh
st, but she protested never to see as
IL would do no good to go up to I'M
apparition and try to seize it-he no
often done this, and it only dis ioy
feared Tor an instant to reappear III,
mother part OF the room. So he me
the lamp burning and got into ar,
with his eyes fixed on the figure. bol
his time Gridlsy had his sextant. he,
seemed busy bringing an imagin. tirt
sun down to an imaginary hori- tbe
The operation completed, the day
e turned to the bureau and seem. n;ol
to be making the calculation. n
he turned to Durham, and shook and
lead negatively, and dashed the Wiz
ant to the floor. A sudden crack ~ 4
tied the mate. lie bad turned he